Apparatus for selecting and operating electromechanical registers



Dec. 29, 1959 LE ROY J, LANGE 2,919,064

APPARATUS FOR SELECTING AND OPERATING ELECTED-MECHANICAL REGISTERS Filed Aug. 30, 1956 g INVENTOR.

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APPARATUS FOR SELECTING AND OPERATING ELECTRO-MECHANICAL REGISTERS Filed Aug. 30, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR.

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United States Patent D F APPARATUS FOR SELECTING AND OPERATING ELECTROMECHANICAL REGISTERS Application August 30, 1956, Serial No. 607,103

7 Claims. (Cl. 23592) This invention relates to apparatus for selecting and operating electro-mechanical registers and has for its principal object the provision of new and improved apparatus of this kind.

It is a main object of the invention to provide a group of total registers and a group of classification registers associated with each total register, together with apparatus for selecting and operating one of the total registers and one of the classification registers of the group associated with the selected total register.

Another object of the invention is to provide apparatus for operating the selected total and classification registers a number of times depending upon a predetermined value assigned to the selected classification register.

Another object of the invention is to provide apparatus for registering work orders assigned to one of a plurality of days and to register a predetermined number of time units on classification registers associated with the selected day register, thereby to register the total number oftime units required of work orders assigned to the selected day and the number of time units in each of the classifications to which these work orders have been assigned.

Further objects, not specifically mentioned here, will be apparent from the detailed description and claims which follow, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which a preferred embodiment of the invention is shown by way of example and in which:

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of the control keys of the apparatus and relays associated therewith;

Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of the registers and circuits over which selected registers are operated; and

Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of the stepping switch, plug board and relays through operation of which selected registers are operated. v

The present invention relates to apparatus for operating selected registers in a group of registers, designated as classification registers, and includes a total register that is operated simultaneously with the classification registers to accumulate the total or sum of all registrations on the registers in the group. The apparatus includes a plurality of groups of classification registers'each having a total register associated therewith, and also provides for the selection of one group of registers as well as for the selection of a register in the selected group.

One field in which the apparatus of the present invention has utility is in the registering of customers service requests received by a public utility company such as a gas or electric company. Such service requests are required to be fulfilled with varying promptness; that is to say, some must be fulfilled as soon after receipt as possible, while others need not or cannot be fulfilled for several days. Thus, for example, a service interruption complaint must be responded to immediately, while a service tum-on or a service disconnect request need not be fulfilled until the day of moving in or moving out of a premises, which day may be several days after the request is received.

Patented Dec. 29, 1959 Not all service requests received by a public utility company require the same amount of time to fulfill. A service turn-on request in a premises where service has previously been given requires but a few minutes of the service mans time. Establishing service to a new premises obviously takes more time since leads and a meter must be installed.

To cope with this situation, the apparatus for registering service requests must be capable of permitting classifying the requests into as many classes as are needed and must be capable of registering the thus classified requests in accordance with the day to which the request is assigned to be fulfilled. The apparatus must be capable of operating the selected registers one or more times for each request, depending upon the number of time units required in the classification in which the request has been placed.

In one instance, a public utility company using the apparatus has required ten different classifications for its service requests and has required that the apparatus be capable of registering from one to nineteen time units, thereby to register a single service request. It is also required that the requests be registered for a selected one of four days, according to the assignment given to the request.

The apparatus shown in the drawings by way of example is designed to meet the above conditions. As shown, four day keys A, B, C and D are employed. Key A may be designated as today, key B as tomorrow, key C as day after tomorrow, and key D as day after day after tomorrow. Thus on Monday, services to be performed on Monday would be registered through an operation of key A, those to be performed on Tuesday through key B, those to be performed on Wednesday through key C, and those to be performed on Thursday through key D.

Intervening between the keys A to D, inclusive, and their associated relays is a day change switch DCS, having a number of wipers corresponding to the number of keys and a number of contacts engaged by each wiper also corresponding to the number of keys. Through this arrangement an operation of the key A on Monday operates day relay 11, key B operates day relay 12, key C operates relay 13, and key D operates relay 14. On Tuesday the day change switch is moved from its first to its second position, with the result that an operation of key A results in an operation of relay 12 so as to permit adding to the registrations made on Monday for work to be done on Tuesday, the work requests received on Tuesday and to be performed on that day. With the day change switch in its second position, relay 11 will be operated responsive to operation of key D to condition the apparatus for registration of assignments to be performed The apparatus also includes a plurality of classification keys K1, K2, K3, with dotted lines indicating other keys intervening between K3 and the last key KN. To show the ten classifications employed in the above installation would complicate the drawings unnecessarily.

Associated with each classification key is a classification relay through an operation of which circuits are prepared to register a number of work units corresponding to the Work unit requirement of the classification. The work unit may consist of a fraction of an hour, an hour, or several hours, depending upon the condition encountered. To permit such evalution of the classification and conversion thereof into units of itme, a plug board is provided. The plug board has a plurality of vertical bus bars corresponding in number to the number of classifi cation relays, to one of which bars a circuit is extended by an operation of a relay. The plug board also has a,

number ofhorizontal bars corresponding in number to V the maximum number of units to be registered in any one The apparatus and its operation will be best "understood by referring to a specific example.

Regiszeringc'lass] work assigned to today Assume that it is desired to register a service order which falls in class 1 and that the classi service orders require one time unit, and assume further that it is Monday and that the work is to'be done on' Monday. The attendant will first operate key A; A circuit may now be traced from positive on spring 16A and its'brieak contact, conductor 30, conductor 31, through spring 11B and its break contact, spring 1213 and its break contact, spring 13B and its break contact, spring 143 and its break contact, conductor 32,, through the main spring and break contacts of keys D, C and B, to the main spring of key A now engaged with its make contact, through the first contact engaged by the first wiper of the day change switch DCS, through the winding of relay 11 to negative. Relay 11 operates over this circuit and at spring 11A closes a holding circuit for itself traceable over conductor 33, through the main spring and break contact of the correction switch CS to positive on conductor 30.

At spring 11C, relay 11 closes a circuit from positive through the day lamp to negative, lighting thatlamp to indicate that the day has beenselected. At spring 11B, relay 11 opens the previously traced circuit to themain springs of the day keys A, B, C and D to render further operations of those keys ineffective; At.springs 11D and 11E, relay 11 closes points in circuits later to be described.

Since the registration assumed is to be in class 1, the

attendant next operates key K1, extending the positive previously traced to conductor31 through spring C113 and its break contact, spring C25 and its breakcontact,

' spring CBB and its break contact, through the other classification relay springs and their break contacts to spring CNB and its break contact, conductor 34, through the main springs and break contacts of the classification keys KN to K1, inclusive, through main spring K1 and its make contact, through the winding of relay C1 to negative. Relay C1 operates over this circuit and. at spring 01A closes a holding circuit for itselfto the positive previously traced to conductor 33. I v

At spring C113, relay C1 opens the previously traced circuit to the main springs of the keys K1 to KN, rendering further operations of those keys ineffective.

At spring C1D, relay C1 closes a circuit from positive through the class lamp to negative, lighting that lamp to indicate that the class has been selected.

At spring 01E, relay C1 places positive on conductor 35, which conductor extends to the first vertical bus in the plug board. Since it is assumed that classification 1 calls for one time unit, a plug P1 will have been inserted to connect the first vertical bus to the first horizontal bus in the plug board, thereby placing positive on conductor 36 which extends to contact 37 in the bank of the' stepping switch engaged by wiper 38'. The stepping switch is of knowndesign and has a wiper such as 33 that engages a bank of twenty contacts, the twentieth contact being a home position contact to which the switch returns at the end of an operation. Wiper 38 is shown engaging contact 20 of its bank.

Relay C1 at springs ClG, ClH, CH and C11, prepares points in the circuits of the registers, one of which circuits iscompleted as will be hereinafter described.

At contact 01?, relay C1 closes a circuit which may be traced from positive through spring 16A and its break contact, conductor 31 conductor 39, through spring 11D and its make contact, conductor 40, through springCIF and its make contact, conductor 61, through springs 18A and 183 in parallel and their respective break contacts, through spring 17C and its break contact, through the winding of motor magnet 18 of the stepping switch to negative. The motor magnet 18 operates over this circuit in preparation to advancing the wipers of the switch one step. Energization of magnet 13 opens springs 18A and 18B from their respective' break contacts, thereby opening the circuit of the magnet 18 which falls back to advance the wipers one step.

Wiper 42 of the stepping switch thus advanced to the first contact in its bank, the contacts of which bank, with the exception of 'the home position contact 20, are all connected to positive, extends positive over conductor43 to conductors 30 and 39, in multiple with the positive placed on these conductors by spring 16A and its break contact.

Wiper 44 of the stepping switch likewise sweeps over a bank of contacts, all of which, with the exception of the home position contact 20, are connected together and to conductor 45' connected to conductor 41 without particular efiect at the moment. a

As soon as magnet 18 has restored to advance the wipers to the first contacts in their respective banks, springs'18A'and 18B again engage their respective break contacts to again close-the circuit of the magnet18 to repeatits cycle of operation, The-stepping switch wipers are thus stepped step-by-step over their bank of contacts in buzzer-like action, this operation continuing until wiper 38 engages contact'37 uponwhich positive was placed as above.

A circuit may now be traced from this positive through wiper 38, through'resistance 4-6, through the winding of relay 17 to negative. Relay 17 being a low impedance relay operates rapidly, and at spring 17C opens the cir-' cuit of the motor magnet18 before that magnet has energized sutficiently to advance the wipers another step; At spring 17A. and its make contact, relay 17 places positive on conductor 47 closing a circuit through relay-16 to negative to operate relay'16. At springs 16A, relay 16 removes positive from conductors 30 and 3%; however, positive is maintained on these conductors through'com ductor 43, wiper 42, and the positive on the bank contact now engaged by that wiper.

Positive potential being maintained on conductor 41 through the engagement of springs ClF with its make contact, and engagement of spring 11D with its make contact, relay17 at spring, 17B closes a holding circuit for itself to maintainthe relay operated so long as positive remains on conductor 41. 1

At spring 17C, relay 17 closes a circuit which may be traced from positive on conductor 41 through springs 18A and 18B, through their respective break contacts, spring 17C and its make contact, conductor 48, through the winding of relay 15 to negative, operating relay 15. Relay 15, at spring 15D, closes a circuit which may be traced from positive on conductor 47 over conductor 49, through spring 11E and-its make contact, through spring 15D and its make contact, through the winding of total register TA to negative, energizing the register TA. A branch of this circuit extends through spring 15C and its make contact, spring TCIG and its make contact, through the winding of the magnet of register RlA to negative, energizing that magnet.

The registers employed in this apparatus are of electromechanical type commonly known inthe trade as Veeder Counters, and upon each energization of the magnet of the register the mechanical counter is advanced one step tozregister one unit;

-At springs 15A and 158,- which are connected in parallel, and their respective make contacts, relay 15 extends positive to conductor 50, thence through the wind ing of motor magnet 18 'to negative, energizing that magnet preparatory to advancing the wipers of the stepping swim-11' one step.

At springs 18A and 18B and their respective break contacts, magnet 18 opens the previously traced circuit for relay 15, permitting that relay to restore. Restoration of the relay 15, at springs 15A and 15B, opens the previously traced circuit for magnet 18, permitting that magnet to restore, thereby to advance the wipers of the stepping switch one step, bringing these wipers into engagement with their respective home position contacts 20 which are open contacts. At springs 15C and 15D, restoration of relay 15 opens the circuits previously traced to registers TA and R1A, which restore. Wiper 42 thus moving out of engagement with its bank contacts that are connected to positive, removes positive from conductors 43, 30 and 39, thus permitting restoration of relay C1 and relay 11, which were held in operated position by this positive. Removal of positive from conductor 39 and restoration of relays 11 and C1 removes positive from conductor 41 to open the holding circuit of relay 17, permitting that relay to restore and remove positive from relay 16, permitting that relay to restore, thereby to restore the equipment to normal.

Thus it Will be seen that through the operation of key A and key K1, one time unit has been registered in the total day register TA and also in the classification register RlA.

Registering class 2 work assigned to today Assuming that it is still Monday and that a class 2 work order is to be assigned to be performed today, and assuming further that class 2 work orders require three units of time, the operation is as follows:

The attendant will operate key A to operate relay 11 as before, and will operate key K2 to operate relay C2 which at spring C2A and its make contact closes a holding circuit for itself from positive on conductor 33 as before. At spring C2E and its make contact, relay C2 places positive upon conductor 51 which is connected to the second vertical bus in the plug board. Since, as assumed above, class 2 work orders require three units of time, a plug P2 will connect the second vertical bus to the third horizontal bus to extend positive over conductor 52 to contact 53 in the bank engaged by wiper 38. The motor magnet 18 of the stepping switch is operated step-by-step fashion as before, advancing the wipers of the switch until wiper 38 picks up this positive, whereupon relays 16 and 17 operate as before. Relay 15 is then brought into operation and the stepping switch takes three more steps to bring its wipers, including wiper 38, into engagement with the home position contacts 20.

Operation of relay 11 at spring 11E and its make contact closes the register circuit as before and each operation of relay 15 at springs 15D closes the circuit of the total register TA as before. At spring 026 and its make contact, relay C2 prepares a circuit to the register R2A so that each operation of the relay 15 at spring 15C closes a circuit to this register. Thus registers TA and R2A will each be operated three steps, after which the equipment will be restored to normal.

Registering a nineteen time unit assignment to be per- 7 formed today Assuming that classification N requires nineteen time units and that it is desired to register such a classification in todays register, key A will be operated as before to operate relay 11; key KN will be operated to operate relay 'CN, which at spring CNE places positive on conductor tact 56 to close circuit for relay 17 which operates to 'stop further automatic travel of the stepping switch.

. energization of relay 15 as before. Energization of relay' 15 also closes the circuit to total register TA as before. Motor magnet 18 and relay 15 are alternately energized and deenergized as before, operating the step switch stepby-step through nineteen steps until its wipers engage their respective home position contacts 20. Each energization of the relay 15 closes a circuit for the motor magnet of the register TA and also for the motor magnet for register RNA. Thus at the end of the operation, nineteen units will be added to register TA and nineteen units will be registered upon the register RNA. At the completion of this registration the equipment restores to normal as before.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that by operating one of the day keys A to D inclusive, and one of the classification keys K, registrations can be effected in a total register for each day and simultaneously in a classification register for each class. for each day.

In certain instances it may be advantageous to register one unit for each work assignment in each classification, regardless of the number of time units that that particular work assignment requires. To this end, I have provided plug connections 57 and 58 which, when connected together by a suitable strap, plug, or switch, shunt out springs 15C, 1513, 15G and 151 and their respective make contacts. Under these circumstances, as soon as an energization of relay 17 places positive on conductor 49-, a circuit will be completed to the selected classification register for the selected day. Thus, for example, if relay 11 is operated, this positive on conductor 49 will be extended through spring 11B and its make contact, through plugs 57 and 58, to the register bus 59, and thence through the G spring of the classification relay to the register corresponding to that classification. The register is operated over this circuit to register one unit, and the magnet of the register remains energized until the apparatus restores to normal. Subsequent stepping of the motor magnet through an alternate operation of the relay 15 will register in the corresponding total register, such as TA for example, a number of time units corresponding to the selected work classification. Through this arrangement, then, the day register accumulates the total number of time units assigned to that day and the classification registers associated with that day register the number of work orders in each classification regardless of the number of time units those work orders require.

With the equipment in the position shown in the drawings, todays registrations controlled by key A operate relay 11 thereby to register todays assignments on the total register TA and the classification register for the day corresponding to the operated classification key. As-

suming that this is Monday, it then follows that tomorrows registration for Tuesday will be controlled by an operation of key B which operates relay 12 which through spring 12E extends the register circuit to the B group of registers. I I

On Tuesday morning the day change switch DCS will be changed from its first position to its second position. The registrations on registers in the A group will be wiped out to restore those registers to normal since Monday has already passed. An operation of key A will now close a circuit to relay 12 so that assignments made on Tues day to be performed on Tuesday will be registered in the registers in group B, which registers on Monday registered assignments to be performed tomorrow. Similarly the other register keys become associated with the next higher numbered relay by movement of the day change switch to its second position and key D, which is operated to register assignments to be performed the day after capacity of nineteen time units.

the day after tomorrow, becomes associated with relay 11 so that such day after day after tomorrow assignments are registered in theA group of registers.

Correction switch In the foregoing description it is presumed that the day selection will be made prior to the classification selection. While this is the preferred order of selection, the classification selection may be made first if desired. Should a work order fall in a class requiring a large number of time units, the operator noting that the time units previously assigned to a particular day may want to change the day to which the assignment is to be made.

It will be noted that the day relays 11-14, inclusive, and the classification relays C1-CN, inclusive, when operated, are held in operated position through their respective A springs over conductor 38 which receives positive from conductor 30 through correction switch CS. An operation of switch CS opens this holding circuit permitting the relays to restore. With one day relay operated or one classification relay operated, corrections can be made without difliculty. As soon as a day relay and a classification relay are both operated, the stepping switch begins to function and corrections should not be attempted. Notwithstanding that directions for operating forbid attempting a correction after a day key and a classification key have both been operated, an operator may attempt to make such a correction.

Restoration of a day relay disengages the D spring of the relay from its make contact and restoration of a class relay disengages the F spring of the relay from its make contact. In either case, positive is thus removed from conductor 41 and the stepping switch becomes tied up out of its home position. To guard against a contingency of this kind, positive placed on conductor 39 through conductor 43 and wiper 4-2, which is away from its home position contact 20, is extended through the chain of D springs on the day relays and their respective break contacts, to conductor 60 that leads to a third wiper 44 on the stepping switch. The contacts engaged by wiper 44, with the exception of the home position contact 20, are multiplied together and connected to conductor 41 through conductor 45. Positive is thus maintained on conductor 41 and the stepping switch operated to step its wipers to home position contacts 20 automatically if relay 17 is in its normal position or through relay if relay is operated. The switch comes to rest in home position in the usual manner.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that the apparatus of the present invention permits registration of assignments to any one of several days, depending upon the number of day keys with which the equipment is provided, and also to register those assignments in any one of a plurality of classifications depending upon the num: ber of classification keys and registers provided. The number of time units consumed in each classification can be determined by the proper plugging of the plug board thereby to permit registering from one to nineteen time units for each assignment, nineteen being the maximum capacity of the equipment shown. The apparatus is simple and effective to rapidly make the desired registrations and is flexible enough to cope with all situations likely to be encountered.

In the apparatus shown by way of example, four (4) daykeys are used and the plug board has a maximum It will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art that a different number of days and a different number of time units can be provided for if desired.

' While I have chosen to show my invention by illustrating anddescribing a preferred embodiment of it, I

have done so by way of example only, as there are many modifications and adaptations which can be made by one skilled in the art within the teachings of the invention.

Having thus complied with the statutes and shown and described a preferred embodiment, of my invention, what I considernew and desire to have protected by Letters Patent is pointed out in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. Apparatus of the class described, comprising: a group of total registers; a group of class registers associated with each total register; a group of keys one for each total register, for eflfecting a selection of one of said total registers; operation of one of said keys rendering inefiective an operation of the remainder of the keys in the group; a group of class keys one for each class register, for selecting a class register in the group associated with the selected total register, operation of one of said class keys rendering ineffective an operation of the remainder of those keys; a relay for each total register key; a relay for each class register key, which relays are operated by an operation of the associated keys, contacts on said relays closed by an operation thereof to prepare circuits to the selected total and class registers respectively; a stepping switch having a magnet, a circuit for said magnet closed through contacts on an operated total and an operated class relay to initiate an operation of the switch; a bank of contacts in said stepping switch; means including contacts on an operated class relay for placing a potential on a predetermined contact in that bank thereby to determine the number of times the selected total and class registers will be operated; a wiper in said stepping switch stepped over said bank of contacts as the switch operates; a stop relay connected to said wiper; a circuit for said stop relay closed by the engagement of said wiper with said predetermined contact thereby to operate said stop relay and open the circuit'over which the switch has been operated. v

2. Apparatus as specified in claim 1, in which operation of the stop relay closes a circuit to a stepping relay that operates thereover to close circuits to the selected registers and to the stepping switch magnet to operate the same.

3. Apparatus as specified in claim 2,'in which opera-. tion of the stepping switch magnet over the circuit closed by the stepping relay opens the circuit of the stepping relay which restores, thereby to restore the registers to normal and to open the circuit of stepping switch magnet which restores to advance the switch wiper one step.

4. Apparatus as specified in claim 3, in which the stepping switch has a home position and in which the stepping relay and switch magnet operate alternately to step the wiper of the switch from the contact on which potential has been placed to the home position, with the registers being operated once each time the stepping relay is operated.

the stepping relay. through which the circuit to class register is closed thereby to operate that register but once while the total register is being operated a plurality of times as the switch steps the wipers to the home position.

7. Apparatus for simultaneously registering assignments in a selected one of a plurality of groups and in a selected one of a plurality of subdivisions of that group, comprising: a key for each group, a relay associated with each of said keys, a circuit for each relay closed through the associated key in operated position to operate the relay; a plurality of keys corresponding in number to the number of subdivisions in the group, a plurality of relays one for each one of said plurality of keys, a circuit for each of said plurality of relays closed through the associated key in operated position to operate the relay associated h the p drk y; a e ste for a h r up; a P urality of subdivision registers associated with each group register; a circuit for each group register prepared by the operation of the group relay to select that register; a circuit for each group of subdivision registers prepared by the operated subdivision relay to select a corresponding register in the subdivision group associated with the selected group register; a stepping switch having a wiper and a bank of contacts engaged thereby, said bank including a home position contact with which said wiper is normally engaged; contact means on said operated subdivision relay for placing potential on a predetermined.

contact in said bank; a magnet for said switch; a circuit for said magnet closed by the operation of said group and subdivision relays, said circuit including normally closed contacts opened by an operation of the magnet thereby to advance said wiper step-by-step over said bank of contacts; a stop relay; a circuit for said stop relay closed to potential on said predetermined contact by engagement of said wiper therewith to operate that relay; contacts on said step relay included in said magnet circuit for opening that circuit when the stop relay is operated; a stepping relay; a circuit for said stepping relay extending through said normally closed contacts on said magnet and closed by said stop relay in operated position to operate the stepping relay; contacts on said stepping relay for closing a circuit to said magnet to operate the magnet thereby to open the circuit of the stepping relay, said stepping relay and magnet operating alternately to step said Wiper to said home position contact; and contacts on said stepping relay closed by an operation thereof to close the circuits of said selected group and subdivision registers thereby to operate those registers once for each operation of the stepping relay thereby to register the assignment.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,179,698 Levy Nov. 14, 1939 2,207,715 Bumstead July 16, 1940 2,479,681 Handley Aug. 23, 1949 2,563,041 Johnston Aug. 7, 1951 2,605,967 Stone Aug. 5, 1952 

